A Tear Stained Photograph
by blackandblood
Summary: She felt her heart break when he had left her. It shattered further each time she saw him with his new girlfriend. She choked back her bitter tears and felt herself losing grip on reality a little more each day. One-shot


**Okay, here is a one-shot that I decided to write due to my depression. You may not like it, or maybe you will. I don't know, and I don't mind if you do hate it. But I needed to write something like this and I felt that the song I chose fit the situation pretty well. Also, this is my first attempt for something really angsty so I hope I pull it off well enough. And just to warn you, it's kind of long...so try not to fall asleep halfway through.**

**And if you want to report me for not following 'The Guidelines' then so be it. I do not claim the song as my own, but if you think I am violating the rules then that's fine by me.**

**The song is 'My Immortal' by Evanescence, which I do NOT own. I repeat, I DO NOT OWN that song.**

**A Tear-Stained Photograph**

The blond looked at the brunette from the distance, her emerald orbs filled with tears. He was so near, yet so far away at that the same time. She could feel the quick beating of her heart, the same rapid pace it had been since she had first laid eyes on him seven years ago, at the age of ten. His breath-taking good looks seemed to taunt her, and she saw two hands stroke his soft chestnut hair. The same hair she used to run her own fingers through not even two weeks previous.

The hands now running through his hair belonged to Desiree, his new girlfriend. Her replacement.

Zoe tore her gaze away from the couple, her trembling hands clenched tightly into fists. She couldn't bare to see him with anyone else, especially after the four months they had been together.

"Stupid Takuya," she muttered, walking away as the tears finally spilled down her face.

It had been less than two weeks ago when Zoe had finally confessed her love to him. She had figured that he felt the same way, as it was obvious that he cared deeply for her. After all, she had waited patiently all those years waiting for him to ask her out, as she had been too shy to do so herself. But she had been wrong.

_**I'm so tired of being here  
Suppressed by all my childish fears  
And if you have to leave  
I wish that you would just leave  
Because your presence still lingers here  
And it won't leave me alone**_

The moment the words 'Takuya, I love you', had escaped from her lips, Takuya turned completely red and looked down. Instead of the same words Zoe had been hoping to hear, he had merely sighed.

_"You do?" He had asked. "That's uh...that's a lot to take in...."_

_The blond had felt her heart skip a beat. "You don't feel the same?"_

_"It's not that," he had told her. "It's just that....I kind of wasn't expecting to hear that. I mean, we've only been together for a few months now."_

_"But I thought you would be happy about this," Zoe had said, feeling ashamed for uttering those words._

_Takuya had looked at her, his face filled with confusion. "I um...I've gotta go. I'll see you later."_

With that he had taken off, leaving Zoe behind, alone and numb. The next day, he had surprised her by breaking up with her, claiming that he was confused and needed some time to himself. Although he had put it nicely, Zoe knew he had ended their relationship. That had been two weeks ago. Fourteen long, miserable, lonely days.

Zoe continued to walk down the street, heading to her house as she silently cursed herself. _I never should've told him that,_ she angrily thought to herself. _I had just kept my mouth shut, this never would've happened. We'd still be together if I hadn't been so stupid...._

She wiped the tears from her face, though they seemed to spill down her cheeks quicker than she could dry them. Zoe felt a choked sob threatening to erupt from her throat, but she swallowed it back down, refusing to let anyone see her openly cry.

_**These wounds won't seem to heal  
This pain is just too real  
There's just too much that time cannot erase**_

About a week after they had split up, Takuya started seeing _her_. The girl who had had her eyes on Takuya for over a year now. Well, she had finally gotten what she had wanted. Zoe had distanced herself from her friends in the past week, as they still hung out with Takuya.

_"He'll get over it and realize what he's done," they kept telling her. "You know that Takuya's a bit of an idiot when it comes to that kind of stuff. You know that he'll come around."_

But he hadn't. _And he won't,_ Zoe thought. She had avoided Takuya at all costs, as each time she saw him, he was with Desiree. For the past five days at school, she had sat by herself at lunch, wandering away from the table she usually sat at with her friends. But she figured that it was better than sitting there and watching Takuya have a make-out session with his slut of a girlfriend.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Why would he do such a thing in front of her? It was bad enough that he had shattered her heart into a million pieces and get a new girlfriend only after a week, but now he was making out with the bitch right in front of her?

"Jerk," she mumbled, finally coming up to her house.

Zoe walked through the front door, immediately going to her bedroom and locking the door. She flopped down onto her bed and finally let the sobs escape her. Even if her parents had been home, she wouldn't have cared if they heard, for it seemed like it was all she had done for the past two weeks.

She kept telling herself to get over him, to move on and find someone else. Someone who wouldn't purposely torment her. But she couldn't. Every thirty seconds her thoughts came back to him. No amount of schoolwork, music, or any other type of distraction would erase the thoughts of him for very long. It also didn't help that he was in four of her classes, three of them with him sitting next to her. She was grateful that she only had one class with Takuya and Sarah both in it, but it seemed to drag for an eternity. If she glanced over at them, Desiree would give her a self-satisfied smirk, triumphant over her victory.

Zoe groaned in disgust. That's all Takuya was to Desiree; a trophy. The girl didn't care about him or his personality, instead fixed on his mesmerizing good looks.

Although Desiree had seen Takuya as nothing more than a prize, he was was much more in Zoe's eyes. To her, he had been her best friend for the past seven years. The shoulder to cry on when she was feeling sad and depressed. The smart-ass who made her laugh when she was having a bad day. The boy she had fallen in love with.

_**When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears  
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears  
And I've held your hand through all of these years  
But you still have all of me**_

Zoe glanced over to see a photograph pinned up to the side of her mirror. She tore her gaze away from it, not daring to look at it for more than a matter of mere seconds. However, before she even realized what she had done, she found herself standing directly in front of her mirror. The blond gently pulled the thumbtack out of the picture and pulled it close to look at it. The photograph was of her and Takuya, about four months ago. Takuya was sitting on the ground with his back against a tree, while Zoe was curled in his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck. Her head was turned slightly upward and Takuya had leaned down to kiss her soft lips. Kouichi had taken the picture when they weren't looking, then gave it to them later that day.

Zoe stared at the picture, her hands trembling slightly. She remembered the moment as if it had been only yesterday. Takuya had met Zoe in their favorite spot, a secluded park only a few people knew about, as it had been far away from the main road. It was the same spot where he had asked her to be his girlfriend. He had pulled Zoe into his arms and kissed her for the first time. Little did they know, their friends had secretly followed them and hid behind a large bush. Kouichi had snuck in closer to them and took a picture of them with his camera. Although Takuya had angrily chased Kouichi and the others for spying on them, he had been happy to have that photograph.

Kouichi had given Takuya a picture like the very one she held in her hands, as he had made a few copies. But she wondered if he had kept it, or if he had, perhaps, thrown it away like it was only a worthless piece of trash.

Zoe sighed for what seemed like the millionth time and dragged herself back to her bed. Her hand still held the memento as she let herself fall back against the pillows. She stared up at the ceiling vacantly, her eyes dull and almost lifeless. The past fourteen days had been brutal on her health, and she could feel a headache coming on. Eating had been difficult, though she had not deliberately tried to starve herself. Instead, the food proved to be nearly impossible to keep down, so she ate only small amounts at a time.

_You're such a weakling,_ she bitterly thought to herself. _Relationships end all the time, so get over it. He obviously didn't feel the same way about_ _you especially now that he's with that bimbo. Move on and get on with your life..._

"Dammit," she groaned, feeling a fresh collection of tears already welling to her eyes.

The blond fused her eyes shut, but she couldn't stop them from flowing nonetheless.

Zoe had distanced herself from her friends and family lately, although she hadn't done it on purpose. She was silent most of the time, only speaking when she was asked a question. She had become withdrawn, which was a severe contrast to her usual outgoing self.

_The only reason you became this outgoing was because of Takuya,_ she thought to herself.

"Oh, shut up," she moaned, tired of arguing with herself.

_**You used to captivate me  
by your resonating light  
But now I'm bound by the life you left behind  
Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams  
Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me**_

Zoe let go of the now slightly wrinkled photograph and rolled over onto her side. Her green eyes were somewhat red and puffy, partially from crying, and partially from lack of sleep. She had been battling insomnia ever since the day Takuya had broken up with her. The little sleep she did manage to get only came from excessive crying. Over-the-counter sleeping pills proved to be futile in her efforts to sleep, so she had given up on those over a week ago.

Although she was exhausted, she was wide awake and alert at the same time. Her mind never stopped racing she felt like her brain was about to explode.

"Kill me now," she muttered, trying to rub away the dull throbbing in her head. "Just give me a gun with a single bullet."

Just then, her cell phone rang. Zoe sluggishly rose from her bed and picked her phone up off her dresser.

"Hello?" She asked, not bothering to see who it was.

"Hey, it's me," Kouji said on the other line.

Zoe tiredly stretched her arms, yawning as she did so. "How's it going?"

"Listen, I wanted to let you know that Takuya's going to call you later about something," he told her.

The blond's heart stopped momentarily and she frowned. "He wants to call me? About what?"

She had barely spoken to Takuya on the phone or even in person lately. Why would he want to call her all of a sudden?

"I don't know, he didn't tell me," Kouji replied. "But he said that he wanted to talk to you about something. Just don't tell him that I told you. Though he probably won't even really care anyway."

Zoe paused for a moment, taking it all in before she finally nodded, although he could not see it. "Okay, thanks for letting me know."

"How are you feeling?" He asked after a brief hesitation.

"I'm alive if that gives you any information," she said warily.

Kouji sighed. "Well, hang in there. Let me know what happens after he calls you and me and the guys will kick his ass if he does anything stupid."

Zoe smirked. "Alright, I'll keep that in mind. See you later."

"Bye," her raven-haired friend responded, hanging up.

The blond numbly made her way back over to her bed and sank down on it, perplexed. What on earth would he want to speak to her about anyway?

_Maybe he wants to just give back everything that you've ever given to him,_ she thought.

"Stop being so emo," she whispered to herself. "You're gonna turn into Kouji if you keep it up for much longer."

_**These wounds won't seem to heal  
This pain is just too real  
There's just too much that time cannot erase**_

Zoe waited for the phone call, too distraught to keep herself preoccupied. She kept telling herself to calm down and stop overreacting, that proved to be useless advice. She had no homework, as she had completed it yesterday and today was Saturday.

_So much for taking a walk to get my mind off of him,_ she bitterly thought. _Of all people, I had to run into Takuya and her...._

But maybe he had seen her and perhaps that was the reason why he wanted to talk to her. However, before she could ponder her thoughts more, her cell phone rang again. Her face paled a single shade when she noticed the name of the person calling her; Takuya.

"Okay, her goes nothing," she grumbled, picking the phone up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Zoe?"

The blond struggled to keep her voice calm. "Yeah?"

"It's me," Takuya said, pointing out the obvious. "Surprised to hear from me?"

"I suppose," she replied with a bit of ice in her voice. "What can I do for you?"

There was a brief hesitation before the brunette spoke again. "I uh..I was wondering if we could meet somewhere...to talk..."

Zoe raised an eyebrow, confused. "Where?"

"At the park," he told her. "You know, the one we used to go to...."

Their old, private hangout. The place where he had asked her to be his girlfriend. The same place in the picture that was still on her bed....

"Uh, I guess," Zoe finally answered. "But why would you want to go there? And why do you even want to meet up with me in the first place? Shouldn't you be hanging out with Desiree?"

Takuya sighed. "Can you just meet me there later? I want to talk about this in person."

"Fine," the blond said, relenting. "What time?"

"Well, it's Saturday so your parents won't care if you're out a bit late, right?" He asked.

"Either way, they'll be gone until tomorrow afternoon," she informed him. "So what time did you have in mind?"

Takuya thought for a moment. "Well, how about nine? Don't know how long it'll take."

"Yeah, nine's okay," Zoe said somewhat monotonely. "See you then."

She hung up before he could reply, unable to listen to the sound of his voice anymore. The phone slipped from her hand and bounced slightly on her bed before it simply lay there. If Zoe hadn't been nervous before, she felt like she was about to get ready for her own funeral.

_Maybe he just wants to give me back everything that I've ever given him. I just...don't know...._

But then why would he ask to meet her somewhere, rather than going directly to her house? There must've been some type of reason behind this.

Zoe looked down at the phone, excited yet dreading their encounter at the same time. If he brings Sarah with him, I'm leaving, she thought. Her eyes glanced back over to the photograph and she felt a new rush of tears.

"Stupid Takuya...Why does he make me feel this way?"

_**When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears  
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears  
And I've held your hand through all of these years  
But you still have all of me**_

A few hours passed, and when 7:30 finally rolled around, Zoe took a shower. Once she had finished, she spent the next ten minutes debating what she should wear. As angry as she was about his attitude towards her lately, she couldn't help but want to look nice for him. However, she opted to wear casual clothes, rather than glamorizing herself for him. A mini skirt and halter top wasn't exactly what she wanted to wear for the cold weather.

Zoe finally settled on snug-fitting blue jeans, and a light purple top that that clung to her. She pulled her tan coat on when it was time to leave, taking one last look around her room. After a moment, she took a single item off her bed to take along with her; the photograph.

The blond didn't know why she was taking it. Maybe she brought it so that she could shove it down his throat and tell him to have a nice life. Or maybe it was simply a pathetic relic she would have to comfort her if he shattered her heart further. Either way, she gently tucked the picture into the pocket of her coat, grabbing her car keys off her dresser. It was 8:30 by now, so she had half an hour to arrive to the spot and wait for Takuya. The drive to the park would only take ten minutes, but with the roads slightly icy, those extra minutes may be of use.

Zoe made her way to her car and slid into the driver's seat, starting the engine as she did so. She immediately shivered and cranked the heat up, the temperature outside so cold, she could see her breath. Although it hadn't been too chilly during the day, the nights had been freezing for the past week.

The sky was a dark navy blue, almost black, but the stars seemed to glow in the darkness with more intensity than she had ever noticed. The full moon illuminated the surroundings enough where she would be able to make out the patches of ice on the road.

"Well, here goes nothing," she muttered to herself as she slowly backed out of the driveway.

She had been doing that constantly for the past few days; talking to herself. However, she mainly did it in private, for many people saw that as a red flag for insanity. Though nowadays, Zoe didn't care if people thought she was completely out of her mind. Without Takuya, nothing seemed to matter....

Zoe had made it to the spot fifteen minutes later with no problem. She glanced at the clock, noting that she had fifteen more minutes to wait until Takuya showed up. She sighed, switching the engine off as she reclined her seat back. If she was going to wait, she may as well make herself as comfortable as possible.

However, as the minutes ticked by, the cold weather began to take its toll, even outside the car. Zoe switched the enfine back on, letting the heat warm her up once again. She had only five minutes left until it would turn 9:00.

Her lids became heavy due to her insomnia and she didn't realize that her cell phone had fallen from the seat. It landed on the floor of the car, before flashing 'Low Battery'. Seconds later, it turned off, unbeknownst to the blond.

Zoe yawned, taking the photograph out of her pocket to look at it. She could see the dried tears dulling certain spots of the picture.

"He'll be here in a few minutes," she tirely mused. "Just be patient...."

Seconds later she had fallen asleep, the picture held loosely between two fingers. Two teardrops escaped from her closed eyes and dripped silently down her cheek. Soon she would know what Takuya had wanted to see her for.....

_**I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone  
But though you're still with me  
I've been alone all along**_

Meanwhile, Takuya was sitting in his car, still in his driveway. He cursed at the car, turning the key for the fiftieth time.

"Fucking thing," he growled. "Come on, dammit!"

The cold weather had momentarily messed with the car, making him unable to start it.

"Sonofabitch." Takuya sighed, swearing under his breath again. "The one time I really need to use this damn thing, it won't friggen start...."

Takuya pulled his cell phone out of the pocket of his jeans, scrolling down to find Zoe's number. He would just have to tell her his situation. He waited for Zoe to answer, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel. To his surprise, the call went directly to Zoe's voicemail.

"Dammit," he muttered, stepping out of the car. "Why the hell is her phone off?"

The brunette walked back inside, shivering slightly from the freezing air. He tried to call her again several times, getting the same result each time.

"Great, now how am I supposed to get in touch with her?" He mumbled.

"What's your problem?" His younger brother, Shinya, asked.

"My stupid car won't stop," Takuya complained.

Shinya made a face. "That sucks. Too bad Mom and Dad aren't home yet, so you can't take theirs."

"Well, they went out together in Dad's car, so maybe I can use Mom's," he replied, looking around for the keys.

"Don't you remember?" Shinya raised an eyebrow. "It's in the shop."

Takuya cursed again. "Dammit, I forgot...And Kouji went out with the guys, so I can't borrow any of their cars either...."

"Meeting Desiree?" Shinya asked, not hiding his look of distaste.

"No, I was supposed to meet Zoe," his brother said.

Shinya smiled. "Really? It's about time, you moron..."

"Yeah, but now I can't." Takuya shook his head angrily. "And I can't even get in touch with her. She's gonna be pissed off at me..."

"Well, if she's smart, she'll give you a kick where the sun don't shine," Shinya told him.

Before Takuya could insult him, Shinya had run upstairs and locked himself in his room for his own protection.

"9:00 exactly," Takuya read the time. "Guess I'll just have to see her tomorrow. I'll go to her house in the morning if my car decides to work."

_**These wounds won't seem to heal**__  
**This pain is just too real  
There's just too much that time cannot erase**_

The next morning, Takuya rushed out of bed. He had purposely set his alarm to wake him up at 6:00 a.m. just so he could get to Zoe quicker. She may not be happy about being woken up so early, but the sooner she was, the sooner she would know that he had not deliberately blown her off.

"I'll be lucky if she even decides to talk to me," he hissed to himself, shrugging his coat on.

Takuya yawned and rubbed his eyes, as he hated waking up this early. However, he knew that it was worth it. The brunette ran outside, trying his best to avoid the patches of ice on his driveway. He slipped into the front seat, closing the door behind him. Although it was cold, it was not as chilly as the night before. He prayed that the temperature difference would allow him to start the car this time. He held his breath as she slid the key into the ignition, praying that it would work. The car sputtered for a moment, almost shattering his hope. A second later, though, the engine roared to life.

"Yes!" He called out triumphantly. "Too bad that damn thing didn't start last night...."

Takuya backed out of his driveway and began to drive towards Zoe's house. The five minute drive felt as though it took hours until he finally pulled into Zoe's driveway. Yet something didn't seem right....

Perplexed, Takuya frowned. "Where's Zoe's car? I knew her parents are home yet, but where is Zoe?"

He got out of the car, nervously making his way to the front door. After several knocks, it became clear that Zoe was not home. Even if she had been too mad at him to answer the door, her car would still be in the driveway.

"Where the hell is she?" He asked himself as he settled back into the car.

Takuya sat there for a few minutes, pondering about where the girl could be. He finally frowned and his heartbeat quickened.

"She didn't wait for me at the park all night, did she?" He wondered aloud, backing out of the driveway.

There was only one way for him to find out. He drove to the park as fast as the icy roads would allow him. The closer he got, the more nervous he became. Something wasn't right about the situation. He doubted that Zoe would sit in her car at the park all night to wait for him. But where else could she be?

Takuya finally arrived at the street leading down to the park. He felt himself overcome with guilt as he continued to drive towards the spot, remembering all too well about all the good times that they had spent together in the area. After a few turns and a quick left other people rarely noticed, Takuya made his way to the end of the street that led directly into the park. He drove down the dirt road, then saw something in the distance.

"What the hell?" He squinted as he drew closer.

It was still quite dark out, but it aided him in his efforts to help him make out what it was. As he drew closer, it realized that it was a light; or to be more specific, twin lights. The lights undeniably belonged to a car and for a moment, he thought the car was a police cruiser. However, he quickly discovered that the car did not belong to a cop, but to Zoe.

"Did she really wait here all night?" Takuya frowned and pulled up beside her car.

The windows of Zoe's car were slightly fogged and the engine was still running. Takuya felt his heart drop as he exited from his car. He walked over to the driver's side of the blond's car and knocked lightly on the window.

"Zoe?"

There was no response, but he could vaguely see someone through the fogged-up windows. After a few more knocks, Takuya decided to try to open the door instead. It proved to be unlocked and he carefully pulled it open.

Zoe's seat had been reclined almost all the way back and the blond was sitting in it with her head turned away from him.

"Zoe?" Takuya swallowed and gently nudged her shoulder.

The girl didn't stir and Takuya lightly turned her head so that it was facing him. To his horror, she was as white as a ghost.

**_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears  
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears  
And I've held your hand through all of these years_**

Takuya shivered, though it was not from the cold. He quickly shut the driver's side door and rushed over to the passenger's beside Zoe instead. It was also unlocked and he entered the car, tightly closing and locking the door.

"Zoe?"

He leaned over her and shook her, hoping to hear an answer. Zoe did not move or making any indication that she was aware of the shaking.

"Zoe, wake up!" Takuya said loudly. "Come on."

The brunette continued to shake and call her her name, getting the same response each time. In a panic, he quickly placed his fingers against her neck, then to her wrist. The blond had no pulse, nor was her chest rising and falling as she breathed. The inside was hot from the heater and Takuya lowered it.

"Zoe...." Takuya was vaguely aware of the tears spilling down his face.

He noticed that half of the gas in Zoe's car was diminished, and he soon put two and two together; the car had been left on the entire night. On the floor was Zoe's dead cell phone, and then saw another item clutched in Zoe's right hand. With a frown, he lightly pulled it from her grasp and looked at it. His heart clenched and he felt bile rise up from the back of his throat. He knew the picture all too well, as he too, had a copy of it. There were a few spots on the photograph and Takuya immediately knew that they were dried-up tears.

He let out a choked sob and gathered the limp girl into his arms, holding her close. With a shaky hand, he brushed a lock of blond hair off Zoe's forehead and leaned his lips to her ear.

"I love you too," he whispered, though it was unheard. "That was what I wanted to tell you in person and not over the phone."

Takuya kissed her lips, which were just as soft and warm as he had remembered. His tears dripped down into Zoe's face and he decided to turn the heat up as high as it could go.

"I'm sorry.... I was so stupid and I don't know what was wrong with me," he said in a thick voice. "But now I know how to fix things...."

Takuya closed his eyes and kissed Zoe one last time, then sat back in his seat, letting himself fall asleep in the warmth.

Takuya and Zoe's bodies were found several hours later by police, the girl cradled in the boy's arms. They had been victims of carbon monoxide poisoning due to the long-running car engine. Takuya's head was rested on top of Zoe's a smile on his face. Zoe also had a small peaceful smile on her face and even in death, she looked like an angel. The tear-stained photograph lay on the floor of the car, the picture mirroring the posisiton the couple had been discovered in death.

_**But you still have all of me....**_

**Well, there you have it. I did not write this because of a break-up, but for a different reason. The song can symbolize many situations, but since I am a crazy Takumi writer, I felt that the scenario I chose fit in with it pretty well. Love it, hate it, or flame me for all I care because I can use the flames to roast marshmallows. But either way, let me know what you thought, whether it be positive or negative. I knew that I would end the fic in death, but I did not want to portray Zoe as suicidal just because Takuya broke up with her. Instead, I opted for an accident (and one that not many people would expect for that matter). The reason why I chose for Takuya to commit suicide is that he realizes that he loves her and wants to be with her, whatever it takes. Do I honestly think Takuya would do that to Zoe? Hell no, but being the author gives me that power as long as I don't violate any rules or whatever. So yeah, I'm gonna go drink and be happy again :) Anyone wanna open a bottle of Jack Daniels with me? Or would you prefer Captain Morgan's?**


End file.
